Since we're in the midst of prime blackberry season, I recently went blackberry picking! Some wild blackberry brambles grow near my house, so I decided to harvest my own crop. If you have blackberries growing nearby or plan to visit a u-pick farm, be sure to check out my blackberry pointers when you read more.
- Ripe blackberries have a dull black color.
- They should be starting to get soft when touched. If they are too firm, they're not yet ripe and will be sour to taste.
- Look for plump, juicy "fruitlets" — those tiny pockets of juicy goodness that make up a blackberry.
- Blackberries do not ripen after they've been picked. So while you may see lots of pretty, bright magenta berries, don't pick those — they aren't fully ripened.
- If you're not planning on consuming them immediately, store blackberries in the refrigerator. Leave loose on a shallow pan or dish that allows them to breathe. Don't wash them until you're planning to use them (moisture will promote bacterial growth), and keep them refrigerated for a maximum of two days.
- When you're ready to eat the blackberries, wash them very carefully in cold water, and drain them — never soak them in water. Remove any that appear to be bruised or decayed, and dry the rest gently with a paper towel.
Do you have blackberry bushes near your house? Share your blackberry picking stories with me below!
Passionata
Superdrug
Hugo Boss
We used to have the most lovely blackberry bushes in our backyard. Such amazing deliciousness!
1Oh my gosh, those berries look delicious.
2I love to pick wild berries in OR when we visit, although I have no clue if they are black, marion, elder, logan, ? - berries. Just delicious!
3My favorite fruit of all – I can't wait to find some!
4yum
5My inlaws have a ton of blackberries on their farm and my father in law goes out and picks them when they're in season and freezes them for me. They are SO delicious!!
6I freakin love blackberries. I got some early in my CSA share a couple weeks ago, and they were the BEST, BIGGEST blackberries I've EVER had. Too bad I always get the seeds stuck in my teeth!
7While I love the taste of Blackberries, I cannot eat them because of how they look. They remind me of the body of an ant (minus the legs, etc..) it gives me the creeps. So I can only enjoy blackberries in juice or any other form than the actual form of the fruit.
8Every year, I go to pick some blackberry with my grandma near her house!
9I love this special moment and the pie my grandma makes with it!! Yummy!
My late father-in-law planted a large berry patch on the ranch, and this year there were about a gazillion blackberries, just about ready for my husband and I to pick, UNTIL the temperature went up past 108 degrees AND the blasted birds ate what didn't drop off the vines! This happened overnight. I was so disappointed.
I was so hoping to make my first batches of real fresh blackberry jam and jelly! Oh well, perhaps next
year. 
10I just made Pioneer Woman's Blackberry Cobbler #2 last week and it was faaaantastic. Cobbler is my fave way to eat blackberries!
11I just bought some the other day and planned to add them to my cereal this morning but I forgot! Terrible! I guess they'll be my dessert.
12I love blackberries in cobblers. My parents have these growing wild all over their yard, too.
Ripe, wild-grown berries taste so much better than those from the store. I had the most amazing mountain blueberries a few days ago. So sweet and juicy.
13I rarely encounter wild berries, but on a recent weekend away, I found some blackberries and I wasn't sure how to tell if they were ready. So, thanks for the tips; next time I'll know.
14Aw man, at my old house I could easily take a basket out into the field behind our backyard and fill it up. yum yum
15My parents moved into a house with two huge rows of blackberry bushes, I used to help pick to take to the farmers market on weekend visits, now having kids, we pick for the fun of it. what a great memory they have (and keep making) picking more berries then they can eat and those beautiful little berry stained smiles! Who knew you could get all that from a little fruit. Just looking it up now, because I can't wait for them to be in season again!
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